Part 7: Flat Ground – The Huntable Side

Last week I shared the advantages of flat ground to produce mature bucks. That discussion was more about the ability to produce quality forage, and therefore quality bucks (if they are allowed to mature). There is another substantial advantage to flat ground. It may be the best reason to seek a hunting property that is flat versus steep.

Hunting flat ground has advantages for predictable wind direction and easier crop production

The huge advantage of hunting flat ground is that the wind seldom swirls where the topography is flat. The wind does change directions as fronts pass, etc., but it rarely swirls and certainly doesn’t swirl on a constant basis. Swirling winds are often caused by changes in topography. Changes in topography create eddies where the wind sinks and rises. Rapid changes of topography also create temperature gradients (warm air rises and cool air sinks). These temperature gradients cause thermals or air moving based on slope and temperature.

Deer move the most during dawn and dusk. There is more air movement due to thermals during these same time periods because this is when the temperature is changing the most. It may well be that in areas with steep topography, deer are the most active during dawn and dusk to take advantage of the swirling winds to aid their avoiding predators (2 and 4 legged). Swirling winds and thermals allow deer to detect predators from multiple directions – not just one (like what would occur in areas where the wind is typically out of one direction).

There can be some thermal action in flat country. However, the direction and duration of the thermals seem to be much more predictable compared to areas with steep topography.

Most hunters throughout the whitetails’ range are blessed enough to have access to hunt flat ground. My property is the opposite of flat. In fact, it changes elevation 350+ feet several times due to the ridges and creeks. To reduce the chance of being detected by a buck’s nose, I use a complete system of cleaning my gear and good personal hygiene, including doing laundry for better deer hunting. I use the natural Dead Down Wind products as they eliminate a wider spectrum of odors than most of the products that are created to only reduce odors created by bacteria. I also want to reduce odors on my gear and myself from lubricants and whatever else might alert bucks.

There are several advantages to hunting flat ground. These advantages include producing better quality forage so bucks can express more of their potential and being able to predict the prevailing wind direction while having fewer thermals. These are two huge advantages to any deer hunter.

Growing Deer together,

Grant